Crystal Quest
by jcaliff
Summary: This is a Slayers/Teddy Ruxpin crossover that I started writing a few years ago. I hope to continue writing it as time allows.
1. Prologue

Crystal Quest: Prologue  
  
  
"DRAGON SLAVE!!"   
  
The call of a high-pitched female's voice was followed by a huge explosion that sent bodies flying and leveled over an acre of previously untouched virgin timberland. When the smoke cleared, a short young redhead in sorceress' garb stepped into the newly-created clearing. Hands on her hips, she stood surveying the damage.   
  
"Not bad at all, if I do say so myself! I took care of those bandits and supplied that village with enough wood to last them through the winter." The girl grinned and a mercenary gleam shone in her eyes. "I wonder what the going rate is for this much lumber? And that's in addition to the reward money! We're gonna eat well tonight, aren't we Gourry!" The girl turned around as she suddenly realized she was talking to herself.   
  
"Gourry? Gourry! GOURRY!!"   
  
"Are you done yet, Lina?" A man's voice drifted from behind a huge tree. The girl, Lina, walked around the tree and witnessed one of the most pathetic sites she'd seen in at least two days. A tall, well built man in armor with a large sword and long, LONG blonde hair was cowering with his hands over his ears. Lina growled and clocked him over the top of the head. He sprawled at her feet.   
  
"Just what the heck do you think you're doing? You wimp! If I didn't know better I'd think you didn't trust my powers." Gourry rubbed the back of his head as he picked himself up off the ground. "It's not your powers I don't trust, it's your aim." Lina's hands balled into fists and her face flushed bright red.   
  
"FINE! If you don't like the way I do things then maybe I just won't share the reward money with you. Heck, maybe I'd be better off by myself again anyway. It's not like you helped me here or anything." Lina turned away from Gourry and stood with her arms crossed. For a long minute Gourry stood with his hand on his head unsure of what to say. He finally reached out and put his hand on Lina's shoulder.   
  
"Lina . . ." Lina opened one eye and glanced back at him. She smiled, and before he could continue she spun around and faced him.   
  
"Save your breath, Gourry, I accept your apology. There's no need for harsh feelings after all, is there? So, what do you think we should have for dinner? Chicken? Beef? Lamb? Aw, what the heck, it's a celebration! Let's have them all!" As Lina prattled on, Gourry tried to interject.   
  
"Lina. Um, Lina? Lina!"   
  
"What is it!? Why do you always insist on interrupting me?" Lina said, frowning.   
  
"Um, because there's an angry mob headed right for us. I just thought you should know."   
  
"What?!?" Lina spun around and sure enough an angry mob of people bearing pitchforks and machetes were rushing right towards them. It looked as though the entire village had come out to greet them.   
  
"You destroyed the sacred forest! Death to the infidels!!" the mob yelled as they bore down on Lina and Gourry.   
  
"Sacred forest?!! What about my reward!!" Lina started to chant part of a spell.   
  
"FIRE-ulp!" Gourry grabbed Lina and put his hand over her mouth. He picked her up over his head and started to run.   
  
Later that evening Lina and Gourry made camp near a small river. They had started a small fire and were cooking their much-smaller-than-anticipated dinner.   
  
"You couldn't just kill the entire village!" Gourry said, and turned the small spit that held several small fish.   
  
"Why not? They tried to kill us! It was a breach of contract," Lina argued. She sat against a tree, dejectedly playing with something that reflected brightly in the fire's glow. "At least I got this. I took it from the leader of the bandits before I took them out. He tried to bribe me with it. He seemed to think it might be worth something."   
  
"What is it?" Gourry asked, and stopped playing with the fish long enough to lean over and examine the item Lina held. It was an amulet on a chain. Several small, oddly-shaped crystals around the edge of the amulet glittered brilliantly.   
  
"Are those diamonds?"   
  
"No, but the leader of the bandits also seemed to think so. I think he was just tired and his eyes were growing old. Any bandit worth his salt could tell that these aren't diamonds." Lina held the amulet in front of her so that the fire illuminated it's surface. "However, I don't think he had any idea of its true value. This amulet is ancient, and it is definitely a magical artifact of great power. I just wish I knew what it was."   
  
"There's writing on it. What does it say? Can you read it?"   
  
"Surprisingly, yes. It says, 'ONLY THE PURE OF SPIRIT MAY FIND THE TREASURE OF KNOWLEDGE'. But I don't know what that means either. Why does it sound so familiar? Tomorrow I think we should go to the next town and see if anyone has ever seen or heard of this amulet before. I want to find out where it came from."   
  
"Maybe you should have asked the bandit before you blasted him?" Gourry suggested, continuing to gaze at the amulet, trying to read the words inscribed on its surface from his odd angle. Just then Lina sat up straight and sniffed the air. Realization quickly dawned.   
  
"THE FISH!! YOU'RE BURNING MY DINNER YOU MORON!"   
  
... TO BE CONTINUED   
  
Slayers is copyright a bunch of other people, and the video series is  
distributed in the US by Central Park Media. Teddy Ruxpin was copyright  
Alchemy II, created by Ken Forsse. 


	2. Chapter 1

Crystal Quest: Chapter 1   
  
  
"Come along now! Stay in line! Article 32, Paragraph 12, Subsection 54 of the MAVO handbook clearly states that during tours of MAVO, the Monsters and Villains Organization, you WILL NOT DEVIATE from the path set out for you by your tour guide, namely me, Ickly Bognostroclum, the Keeper of the Gate! Failure to follow my directions will result in IMMEDIATE EXPULSION from the MAVO premises, as stated in Article 32, Paragraph 12, Subsection 56!" Ickly Bognostroclum was a villain who did things by the book, and he didn't have patience for those unwilling to do as he ordered. The group of slobs he had to lead around was hardly worth his time. He couldn't wait to get back to the front entrance. "Alright now stop! This is the Great Hall of MAVO. Better monsters and villains than yourselves have tried and failed to enter these hallowed halls!"   
  
"Um, excuse me? Are we going to get to meet the Supreme Oppressor?" said a small voice, piping up from the mass of bodies crowded into the hall.   
  
"WHO SAID THAT! I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK!" Despite his small stature, Bognostroclum seemed to tower over them all, larger than even the giant drool beast. The entire tour group seemed to shrink under his hateful glare. No one dared to speak. Only one person was considered more intimidating than Ickly Bognostroclum was, and that was the Supreme Oppressor himself.   
  
Ickly backed away and put his hand behind his back. He walked back and forth across the space in front of the tour group like a drill instructor.   
  
"So, you want to meet His Evilness, the Supreme Oppressor, do you?" Ickly almost seemed to be smiling and all the members of the tour group started to relax, breathing an audible sigh of relief. Ickly turned toward the group. No, he was definitely NOT smiling.   
  
"THE DAY YOU GET TO MEET THE SUPREME OPPRESSOR WILL BE THE DAY HE PERSONALLY DECIDES TO END YOUR WORTHLESS EXISTENCE! THE SUPREME OPPRESSOR WILL NOT BE SEEN BY ANY NON-MAVO MEMBERS! ARTICLE 9, PARAGRAPH 6, SUBSECTION 32! NOW, ON WITH THE TOUR! GET IN LINE! SINGLE FILE!" Ickly continued to shout out orders as the frightened group struggled to form a line.   
  
As the tour group filed out of the Great Hall, two figures emerged from a shadowed alcove.   
  
"Oh my! Are those the new recruits? They seem very -- inexperienced," said Mrs. Maggotheart, the MAVO dues collector, captain of the MAVO airship ECLIPSE, and leader of the MAVO pirates, as she nervously wrung her hands together. The potential recruits were definitely not what she had hoped for.   
  
Eleanor Tweeg disgustedly banged her walking cane against the ground. "A sorry bunch of losers if ever I saw any. I almost think my son, Tweegy, would be preferable."   
  
"I just hope they can pay their dues," said Mrs. Maggotheart, sounding more threatening than hopeful.   
  
"Ah, yes. This is indeed a sad, sad day in the history of MAVO. And speaking of which, Eleanor, how is that boy of yours?" asked the Understander of Legends, one of the most respected members of MAVO. She joined the other women and watched as the tour group disappeared into the inner recesses of MAVO headquarters.   
  
"Hopeless, as usual. I hear he spent some time with his no-good father. I can only imagine how that might have ruined him. Not that there was much there to ruin," said Eleanor, almost spitting the words as though they left a bad taste in her mouth.   
  
Mrs. Maggotheart looked up and spoke cheerfully to Eleanor. "He DID finally pay his dues!"   
  
"My dear Mrs. Maggotheart, you're obsessing," the Understander said, smiling.   
  
"Oh dear, I suppose you're right. It's just that, oh, I can't wait for them to finish rebuilding the Eclipse! To be out in the bitter night air, plundering and pillaging. That's the way for a villain to live!"   
  
"Be patient, Mrs. Maggotheart. Everything goes according to plan," assured the Understander.   
  
"And how is Quellor? I haven't seen or heard anything of him in weeks." Eleanor Tweeg sighed and gazed longingly across the Hall at the door leading to the Supreme Oppressor's throne room. "Ah, Quellor. Now there's a villain's villain."   
  
"Ever since the Iliop stole the crystals, the Supreme Oppressor has locked himself away. He won't even speak to Bognostroclum," said the Understander.   
  
"So, who ordered this new recruiting drive?" asked Mrs. Maggotheart.   
  
"I did." The Understander turned to one of the heavily inscribed walls that decorated MAVO headquarters and traced the pattern with her hand. These were walls that only she could read. Lucky for her -- in an organization like MAVO it was important to be indispensable.   
  
"I thought it might boost morale and impress the Supreme Oppressor. But so far all I've seen are pathetic wimps who can only aspire to lick the bottom of my shoes."   
  
Eleanor Tweeg sighed and shook her head. "I know exactly what you mean. It's this new generation; they're all lazy. All their lives they've had everything handed to them on a silver platter. Now in my day, if we wanted a silver platter we had to steal the silver and melt it down ourselves."   
  
"You're SO right, why just the other day I was telling my husband. . .," said Mrs. Maggotheart, but before she could finish telling what transpired between her and her spouse she was interrupted. Suddenly the main door of the grand hall swung open, hitting the wall behind it with a loud BANG!   
  
"BOGNOSTROCLUM!!"   
  
The three ladies all jumped at the sudden noise and all three turned to see the huge figure of the Supreme Oppressor standing at the door.   
  
"Quellor!"   
  
"Your Supreme Wickedness!"   
  
"Oh my!"   
  
"Where is Bognostroclum?! I wish to speak to him at once! Why is he not at the Gate!" From deep within his cowl, the Supreme Oppressor's eyes glowed like blue flames. All three ladies cowered.   
The Understander of Legends spoke.   
  
"He's leading a tour of MAVO Headquarters. I organized a recruiting drive, but so far none of the candidates. . .."   
  
"Find him and tell him to come to me at once!" Quellor turned on his heel and strode back to his throne room, ignoring all else. The door slammed shut behind him. The threesome looked at each other. Then they looked in the direction of the tour group.   
  
"After you. . .."   
  
In his throne room, Quellor sat with his most treasured possession, the Black Box, on his lap. He gazed deeply into the cracked crystal embedded in the device, as if searching for a hidden meaning or message within its depths.   
  
"The crystals. I will have them again." He gently caressed the surface of the Black Box Crystal, tracing the crack across its surface. Just then the door of his throne room opened and Ickly Bognostroclum stepped inside. Quellor thought he looked oddly relieved.   
  
"You wanted to see me sir?"   
  
"Yes, Bognostroclum." Quellor stood and walked down the steps before his throne, past Bognostroclum. He gazed out into space, at nothing.   
  
"Can you feel it, Bognostroclum?"   
  
Ickly was confused. "Um, what should I be feeling, Your Despicableness?"   
  
"The Iliop, Teddy Ruxpin. He thinks that he has won. He thinks that by taking the crystals back that he foiled our plans. But it's too late! Don't you see, Bognostroclum? Can't you feel it? The seal has been broken. Simply taking the crystals away can't stop it now!"   
  
Ickly was sure that he looked just as stupid as he felt, but he listened in awe as the Supreme Oppressor continued.   
  
"The crystals broke the seal; they facilitated the transition. But removing them could only slow the spread of evil into the world, it couldn't stop it! The ancient evil reawakens, even as we speak! The Iliops were fools to think they could keep it sealed forever! Soon, very soon, the Great Wall of Ying will crumble. The Hordes of Darkness will spill into Grundo with ME as their leader! The entire world will bow before the power of MAVO! I can feel the power flowing through me, power such as I have not felt in many, many years." Quellor turned and stood majestically with his hands on his hips. Ickly was awestruck. This was the leader he would follow to the ends of the earth. This was the reason why he had joined MAVO. This was. . . .   
  
"Bognostroclum!"   
  
"YES, YOUR GREAT SURLINESS!"   
  
"As long as the Iliop has the crystals, the chance exists that he could still get in our way. I want you to gather the swiftest, most powerful, and most cunning of our allies! I want the Eclipse ready to depart first thing tomorrow! Most of all, I WANT THOSE CRYSTALS! I WILL HAVE THE ANCIENT POWER THAT WAS DENIED TO ME SO MANY YEARS AGO!"   
  
"YES, IT WILL BE DONE AS YOU REQUEST, YOUR MALEVOLENCE!"   
  
"THEN GO! SEE TO IT NOW!"   
  
"YES, AT ONCE!!" Ickly, his eyes brimming with tears of pride, hurried out of the throne room to see to his master's bidding.   
  
Quellor walked slowly back to his throne and put his hand against the cool crystal in his Black Box, his symbol of power. To him it represented both the power he currently had, and that which he would soon wield.   
  
"And no Iliop, no child of Theodore, will be able to stop me."   
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED . . .  
  
  
This is chapter 1 of my fanfic, Crystal Quest. I'd like to thank Reid  
Carson, my friend Cheree, and my sister Stephanie for pre-reading this  
chapter for me. I'm very excited about this story. It sounds cheesy to  
say, but it really is a labor of love on my part. ^_^ Please keep an  
open mind while you read it.   
  
Slayers is copyright a bunch of other people, and the video series is  
distributed in the US by Central Park Media. Teddy Ruxpin was copyright  
Alchemy II, created by Ken Forsse. 


	3. Chapter 2

It was a typical day in the land of Grundo. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and little insects were chirping happily. In the center of a large clearing stood a small, comfortable looking house. Oddly, in the midst of this peace and tranquility came the jolting sound of cannon fire. BOOM! A single cannon ball fell out of the sky, well clear of the little house, and joined the hundred others that sprinkled the valley floor like a giant child's game of marbles. A scream of frustration echoed from a solitary tower that stood at the edge of the valley.  
  
"DRAT!! I'LL GET YOU, GIMMICK, IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!!!"  
  
Crystal Quest: Chapter 2  
  
In the cozy kitchen of the little house surrounded by cannon balls, Grubby the Octopede was preparing a mid-morning snack for himself. He hummed happily as he moved around the kitchen, deftly avoiding knocking things over despite his long, yellow body and eight hands. Actually, having so many hands often came in very useful while he was cooking. He turned down the heat on the stove and tasted his masterpiece. It was perfect. He thought his friends might want to share in the wonderful meal, so he called out to his best friend who was working quietly in the next room.  
  
"I'm makin' root stew. You want some Teddy?" Root stew was widely regarded by Octopedes as one of the most delicious dishes among all Octopede cuisine. Unfortunately, very few species other than Octopedes could stand it. It had the consistency and taste of glue. It also made an excellent projectile weapon, but Grubby considered that a waste of good cooking.  
  
"Um, no, thanks Grubby." Teddy Ruxpin wrinkled his nose at the smell of the foul concoction. He was very thankful that Grubby was in the other room. He didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, but root stew was the one dish that Teddy absolutely hated. If he were stranded in the middle of the Great Desert and had to choose between root stew and nothing, well, let's just say that he'd avoid that situation at all possible cost. Heck, he'd had better food when he was a prisoner of MAVO.  
  
"You sure? It's better than ever! I added a special secret ingredient," Grubby said. He kicked open the kitchen door and walked into the living room to hover over Teddy, an Iliop, who sat at the table. Iliops by their nature are cute, cuddly-looking creatures. Teddy was no exception, and Grubby often thought his friend looked almost like a child's stuffed toy that they would take to bed with them. As for Teddy, he immediately put on a good face and looked up at Grubby.  
  
"What's that?" Teddy asked, smiling.  
  
"Well if I told ya it wouldn't be a secret, now would it? Hu hoo!" Grubby laughed heartily at his joke and Teddy smiled good-naturedly.  
  
"No Grubby, I guess it wouldn't." Grubby noticed that the table in front of Teddy was covered with large sheets of paper and books. It looked like Teddy was doing some sort of research.  
  
"Watcha doin' Teddy?" he asked.  
  
"I'm looking at some maps of Grundo. I'm trying to decide where we should start looking for our next adventure." Grubby blanched at the thought. He'd had enough adventure to last him the rest of his life.   
  
"Teddy, I don't think I'm really up for any more adventurin'. I've got all the adventure I need right here in the kitchen. Besides, adventurin' is dangerous." Grubby scanned the maps on the table, remembering another, much older, map, and all the problems they'd encountered on THAT adventure. Teddy frowned.  
  
"That's what you said before we left Rilonia the first time."   
  
"And I was right!" Grubby interjected, "First we ran into the Bounders, then Tweeg, the Mudblups, the Gutangs, and eventually even MAVO!"  
  
"But Grubby, just think of all the amazing things we've learned and all the wonderful friends we've made," said Teddy. Teddy was the type of person who always tried to look at the bright side of life. He sometimes wished Grubby would try to be less negative. Teddy knew that unless you looked for the positives, you were likely to miss them.   
  
"If we hadn't come to Grundo we'd never have found the crystals, and we'd never have met Gimmick, Leota, Wooly, the Fobs, Prince Arin, Princess Arusia, the Anythings, the Wogglies, the Surf Grunges, the Jungle Grunges, why, even Tweeg and LB aren't so bad once you get to know them."  
  
Grubby, who had been nodding in agreement as Teddy listed so many of their friends, froze mid-nod as Teddy mentioned Tweeg's name. He crossed his arms and glared at Teddy.  
  
"Teddy, I was right there with you up until that part about Tweeg."  
  
"Now Grubby, . . ." Teddy started to stand up as his friend interrupted him.   
  
"No Teddy." Grubby looked sideways at Teddy. Sometimes he thought Teddy was just TOO nice. He often thought Teddy looked too hard for the good side of people and didn't pay enough attention to the things he didn't want to see. Because of that, he was always worried that Teddy would get hurt. Better safe than sorry; that was his philosophy.  
  
"As far as I'm concerned, Tweeg and LB are just as bad as any of those evil monsters and villains."  
  
"I'll tell him you think so. It might cheer him up." From just outside the open window, Teddy and Grubby heard the unmistakable wheezing laughter of none other than . . .  
  
"LB!!" both Teddy and Grubby exclaimed at once. They both went over to the window and looked out. Right below, LB was looking up at them through the window, standing on a cannon ball on the lawn.   
  
"That's my name, don't wear it out," he said, smirking. LB was a typical bounder. He was short, rotund, and red. He had two legs and no arms, a single horn sticking up out of a small tuft of hair on top of his head, and a huge mouth full of rotten, razor sharp teeth. All in all, he resembled a mutant killer tomato.  
  
"What are you doin' here?" asked Grubby suspiciously, "Did you come here to spy on us again?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes." LB jumped down from the cannon ball, and the words "Return to Tweeg" were visible, etched onto its surface.   
  
"Well why don't you come inside then?" Teddy asked cheerfully. "You can spy on us much more easily from inside the house than from out there."  
  
"Teddy!!" Grubby exclaimed, horrified.   
  
"Grubby, I think you owe it to him to be polite. The last time I invited him over, you and Gimmick chased him off." Teddy was almost angry, and whispered so that LB couldn't hear. LB hopped into the house and looked around. He immediately noticed the maps and papers strewn across the table and hopped up onto the chair where Teddy had been seated earlier.   
  
"So, you guys planning a trip somewhere?" LB stood awkwardly on one foot and used the other to shuffle through the papers that Teddy had left on the table.  
  
"Teddy, I think I'll excuse myself so that you and your FRIEND can spend quality time together. I'll go ask Gimmick if he'd like some of my root stew." Grubby didn't even try to conceal his dislike of Teddy's guest. Teddy sighed. He'd really hoped that Grubby would try to be more open-minded.   
  
"Okay Grubby," Teddy said, obviously disappointed, "please tell him that LB is here so that he doesn't jump to the wrong conclusion if he sees him."  
  
"Sure, Teddy, whatever you say." Grubby climbed the stairs to the second floor of Gimmick's house to find the inventor. Newton Gimmick was likely working on some new wacky invention that probably wouldn't work properly. Grubby half-hoped it would be some kind of anti-bounder device.  
  
"Sorry about that," apologized Teddy.   
  
LB didn't even look up, but continued to read Teddy's notes. "S'okay, I'm used to it," he said, "besides, I already told you I got an image to maintain."  
  
Teddy thought back to that time not so long ago. After months of trying, MAVO had finally captured Teddy and stolen the 6 magic crystals. Somehow, LB had become the leader of MAVO and he'd used his power to set Teddy free. "Don't mention it," he'd said, "and I mean that. I got a reputation to think about."   
  
"Yes, I remember." Teddy sat down on the couch and watched LB.   
  
"LB?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I was wondering. Do you have any idea what lies beyond the Great Desert?"  
  
LB looked up at Teddy and cocked his head to the side. "Beyond the Great Desert?" he asked, "I don't think anyone's ever been beyond the Great Desert."  
  
"Oh," Teddy replied, a little disappointedly.  
  
"But I'll tell you what; I'll ask around. I ain't exactly well traveled, you know? Although I gotta admit, I've done more traveling since you guys got here than I ever did before. Buffy once called me 'worldly', whatever that means." LB laughed.  
  
Teddy laughed along with LB, then asked, "And how is Buffy? Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen you since the wedding. Did you have a nice honeymoon?"  
  
"It was okay. Getting married is weird. But we're still settling in, you know? It's gonna take time to get used to it."  
  
"I see," said Teddy. He suddenly realized that he wasn't being a very good host. "Would you like something to eat or drink? I think we have some root beer," he said. Root beer was another Octopede invention, but unlike root stew, root beer actually tasted good.  
  
"Not really." LB jumped off the chair and hopped over to where Teddy sat on the couch. He stood and gazed at Teddy with an undecipherable look. Teddy felt a little uncomfortable.   
  
"Hey Buxbin, you mind answering a question?" LB asked.  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Ever since you guys came here, me and Twiddle-dumb have spent almost every waking hour trying to make your life miserable. So how come you're always tryin' to be so nice to me?" Teddy thought LB looked genuinely confused and even a little concerned. He decided to answer honestly.  
  
"Because I think that deep down, you really aren't a bad person. Trust and respect have to start somewhere. I hope that if I trust and respect you, that someday you'll honor that trust and we can all be friends."  
  
LB looked thoughtful for a minute. However, he quickly regained his uncaring attitude.  
  
"Yeah, well don't hold your breath," he said flippantly.  
  
Teddy smiled. "It's okay LB, I don't expect you to believe in me. But I think it's important for you to know that I believe in you." For some reason LB suddenly started laughing like a hyena. He laughed so hard that he found himself rolling on the floor. When he'd finally pulled himself together enough, he looked up at the confused Iliop.  
  
"Rustbin, do you ever listen to yourself?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Teddy asked. "Of course I do."  
  
"Oh come on! You sound like a motivational speaker or some kind of self-help thingamabob."  
  
"I guess that's just how I am. But you know, I have to be myself."  
  
Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, Teddy started singing slowly.  
  
"I know sometimes it can be hard  
The feelings you must hide,  
When the people all around you  
Don't know who you are inside."  
  
Teddy picked up the tempo as he continued to sing. LB, for his part, started to move in time with the music.  
  
"But if you be yourself,  
No one else can do it.  
Be yourself,  
You'll see there's nothing to it."  
  
Together Teddy and LB danced around the living room.  
  
"Even if you're not Mr. Popularity,  
You won't be happy unless you can be,  
  
"You can be yourself."  
  
"What else would I be?" LB sang out as well.  
  
"Be yourself."  
  
"I have to be me!" Teddy exclaimed, and together they finished the song.  
  
"Just one thing that you gotta do,  
Above all else to thine own self be true!"  
  
With a final pose and flourish as though they were on stage, Teddy and LB together shouted, "BE YOURSELF!"  
  
From the second floor Gimmick's voice rang out through the house.  
  
"WHAT IS, er, GOING ON DOWN, uh, THERE!!"  
  
"I think that's my cue to be going," said LB, skipping towards the front door.   
  
"Wait! You don't have to leave," said Teddy, looking back over his shoulder with a scowl at the stairs leading up to the second story.  
  
"Yes, I do. Tweeze's probably been waiting for me; I was supposed to have been back a while ago. Of course, I would've been late no matter what." LB laughed his trademark wheezing laughter. "It's so much more fun to watch him get angry," he added.   
  
LB hopped out the door, then turned back to Teddy and said, "Hey, let me ask you one more question."  
  
"What's that?" Teddy asked.  
  
"You're always such a goody-two-shoes. I'm wonderin' if you ever get the urge to beat the crap out of some jerk who desperately deserves it."  
  
Teddy was taken aback by the bluntness of the question, but before he could answer he heard crashing noises coming from the stairs and Gimmick yelling. Teddy sighed.  
  
LB bounded away from the house and called back over his shoulder, "THINK ABOUT IT!!"  
  
Teddy watched LB head back to Tweeg's tower. When he was out of sight he turned back to the inside of the house. He was almost afraid to look.   
  
The sight that greeted him was not pretty. Gimmick and Grubby were both at the bottom of the stairs, tangled in some sort of wire. It seemed like the more they struggled the more tangled they became.   
  
"Teddy!" Gimmick called, "Why don't you, er, uh, go into the kitchen and get some eh, uh, uh, wire cutters. They're in the, uh, bottom, uh, drawer next to the, er, uh, stove."  
  
"Okay, Gimmick," Teddy said as he headed into the kitchen.  
  
"AND HURRY!" Grubby yelled, "THIS THING'S GETTIN' REALLY TIGHT!"  
  
"ALRIGHT, I'M HURRYING!" Teddy yelled back. He frowned as he searched through the kitchen drawer. He finally found the wire cutters and went back into the main room to set Grubby and Gimmick free.  
  
Newton Gimmick, the most famous inventor in Grundo and the owner of the house where Teddy and Grubby were currently living, carefully examined the remains of his latest experiment while Teddy and Grubby looked on.  
  
"Oh, uh, dear. It's, uh, I'm afraid it's not, uh, salvageable."  
  
"What was it?" Teddy asked, curiously picking up pieces of metal.  
  
Gimmick adjusted his glasses. "It was going to be an, er, eh, automatic clothesline."  
  
Gimmick was a Purloon (in other countries called a Human), one of the most common races living in Grundo. He was an older man, at least 50, with thick black-rimmed glasses, a white mustache, and a shiny baldhead surrounded by a ring of white hair. He was a scientist and an inventor, but unfortunately his inventions never seemed to work just right. More often than not they seemed to backfire completely. But Gimmick took it all in stride, because he knew that the greatest inventions often required years of trial and error. And it didn't hurt that he seemed to have serendipitous luck; often his inventions worked in ways that he himself had never dreamed of.  
  
"Well, I'll get the broom so we can start to clean this up," Teddy said. He started to head toward the kitchen when there was a knock at the front door.   
  
"I'LL GET IT!!" Grubby shouted as he raced to the door. Teddy smiled at his friend's childlike attitude.   
  
"It better not be one of those bounders playing another practical joke," Gimmick said threateningly. Teddy looked at Gimmick and felt a strange, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Somehow, he felt that something wasn't right.  
  
Grubby threw open the front door.   
  
"What the. ..!" Grubby fell over backwards onto his rump as something blue fell on top of him. Teddy and Gimmick both rushed over to see what it was. It was Old Beanly, the Royal Messenger.   
  
Teddy tried to help Grubby carry Old Beanly to the couch. The aging messenger was obviously hurt, but Teddy had no idea how badly.   
  
"Oh, my!" Gimmick exclaimed, "Er, I'll go and get some, uh, water and the, eh, uh, first aid, uh, kit!"  
  
"What d'ya suppose happened?" Grubby asked nervously as he and Teddy gently laid Old Beanly down.  
  
"I don't know," Teddy said, "but I think we should find out." Teddy leaned down closer to Old Beanly.  
  
"Teddy, I. . ."  
  
"Shh! I think he's trying to say something!" Teddy interrupted Grubby, then leaned in even closer. Old Beanly opened his eyes and looked at Teddy. Then his eyes became unfocused and he spoke so softely that Teddy could barely hear him.  
  
"Gutangs. . . please . . .help . . .king." Just as he finished, his eyes closed and he lost consciousness.  
  
"Old Beanly!" Teddy cried.  
  
"Oh, uh, dear!" Gimmick said, "Here's the er, uh, first aid. Teddy, let me, uh, uh, look at him." Teddy stepped back and Gimmick set about trying to help Old Beanly as Teddy and Grubby watched.   
  
"Is he . . .?" Grubby started to ask, but couldn't finish the question. He swallowed loudly.   
  
"No," Gimmick answered the unasked question, "but he is badly, uh, hurt. I'm afraid I can only do so, uh, much."  
  
"We need to get him to a doctor," Teddy concluded.   
  
"But Teddy, there aren't any doctors around here," Grubby said, sounding panicky.   
  
"The closest, uh, doctor, would be in the, er, elf village," Gimmick answered.   
  
"Okay then, Grubby, you get the airship fired up; I'll get some supplies together. As soon as Gimmick thinks it's safe we'll take Old Beanly to the elf village."   
  
As everyone set about their tasks, Teddy felt the sick feeling in his stomach grow. He considered what Old Beanly had said and thought about King Nogburt and all his friends who lived in Nogburt's castle. Looking out the window toward Tweeg's tower, he remembered the conversation he had just had with LB and the unanswered question LB had left him with.  
  
"Yes," he answered quietly to himself, "I do."  
  
  
...TO BE CONTINUED  
  
  
Yes, they sing and dance. It's Teddy Ruxpin - what do you expect?   
  
Slayers is copyright a bunch of other people, and the video series is  
distributed in the US by Central Park Media. Teddy Ruxpin was copyright  
Alchemy II, created by Ken Forsse. 


End file.
